Griffin Asset Management Inc. Buys 1,445 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Griffin Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH - Free Report) by 9.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,965 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock after buying an additional 1,445 shares during the quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $8,885,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Capital & Planning LLC lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 491 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 176.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 44,249 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $22,384,000 after purchasing an additional 28,231 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,233,000. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 137.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock valued at $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 2,324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 196,907 shares of the healthcare conglomerate's stock worth $99,607,000 after acquiring an additional 22,059 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on UNH. Erste Group Bank downgraded UnitedHealth Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $405.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 15th. TD Cowen cut shares of UnitedHealth Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $308.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, HSBC restated a "reduce" rating and set a $270.00 price target (down previously from $490.00) on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $426.52.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of UNH traded up $1.48 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $309.14. The company had a trading volume of 10,139,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,243,980. The stock has a market capitalization of $280.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.83. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 52-week low of $248.88 and a 52-week high of $630.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $381.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $470.20.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.56 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.91 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 24th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $2.21 dividend. This is an increase from UnitedHealth Group's previous quarterly dividend of $2.10. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $8.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. UnitedHealth Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, Director Timothy Patrick Flynn bought 1,533 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $320.80 per share, for a total transaction of $491,786.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,935,386.40. This trade represents a 34.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John H. Noseworthy acquired 300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $312.16 per share, with a total value of $93,648.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,063 shares in the company, valued at $1,892,626.08. This trade represents a 5.21% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.